Jake Clemons

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Mark Rashotte

Jake Clemons

On his newest album, Eyes On The Horizon, South Carolina songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jake Clemons references artists as disparate as Rage Against The Machine and Bruce Hornsby. On tracks like “Consumption Town,” the current saxophonist of The E Street Band (son of the legendary Clarence Clemons) works with artists like Tom Morello, creating complex compositions that slam capitalism and the ruling class.

press release: On September 6, 2019 singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jake Clemons released his sophomore album, Eyes On The Horizon, produced by Jake Hull and Clemons and mixed by legendary and award winning producer Eddie Kramer ( Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Beatles etc.) The ten song collection has Clemons once again creating a new chapter and taking it a step further by adding his voice to those seeking to find clarity in a complicated world and expanding both his musical vision and philosophical perspective. Eyes On The Horizon is the follow up to Jake’s 2017 release Fear + Love.   

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Clemons has composed all of the songs on Eyes On The Horizon (with exception of “Democracy,”)  and has played guitar, keyboards ,saxophone and handled lead vocals on all of the tracks.  The Jake Clemons Band  kicked off the album release on September 7^th with a performance at the famed Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ before touring throughout the US, Ireland, UK, Europe and Canada. 

In describing the album, Clemons explains that each track on Eyes On The Horizon holds special significance for him, for example “Democracy,” as his father was a Marine Corps band director whose dedication to serving the nation had an impact on Clemons from a very early age.

“The song ‘Democracy’ has a special meaning to me, it speaks to how I was raised and the things I was taught,” says Jake. “My father’s greatest pride lay within his service to his country and he instilled in me a firm belief that our flag, our nation should represent the certain unalienable rights of all people, that we are all created equal, that we are stronger as a whole, and that our rights as a collective whole deserved to be defended.

“I think about the disparity that my dad had to grow up with, as an African American in the deeply segregated, malicious Jim Crow era, and his decision to rise above the state of where things were and fight for the promise of freedom in the country he believed in.”

“I have to hold on to that inherent hope that my father would sacrifice time & time again for, that this nation stood for the people and that WE are those people.”

The song “Consumption Town” is meant as a wake-up call. “It’s about how we’re so distracted by the desire for something new, something better and something immediate, and we’ll pay anything for it. The repercussions of our short-use or often single-use addiction has infiltrated our waterways with possibly permanent plastics, and our personal interactions with often meaningless, single-use, swipe left relationships and like-based digital media. The worst of it is, while it continues to tear the fabric of our existence apart, it’s also making some people very rich, and we just continue to drink it down.

He also singles out “Eyes On The Horizon” as a statement about the need to reach towards something better. “We always have to carry that hope with us,” he says “Tomorrow can be a better place for all of us, if we’re willing to do the work to get there”

While Jake’s array of activities over the past decade have made him a familiar figure around the world, his love and appreciation for music was instilled early on. Raised in a family of strict Southern Baptists, Jake was immersed in gospel music and began his musical journey by learning piano and eventually picking up other instruments along the way. He then studied jazz performance at the Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts and started his solo career in 2010.

Dividing his time between touring the world, performing his own music and spending the last seven years as the tenor and baritone saxophonist with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band (stepping in for his Uncle, the late Clarence Clemons,) He has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, UK, Ireland and Europe (also, Mexico, South America, South Africa). Jake has also graced many stages performing alongside a variety of artists including Paul McCartney, Eddie Vedder, Glen Hansard, The Roots and Roger Waters to name a few.

Ultimately, Clemons has chosen to carry on his career without taking anything for granted. “I process my life through my music and I hope that there’s always growth in whatever I do,” Clemons suggests. “I definitely feel that with this new album. I took some chances on this record that I didn’t dare to before. There’s a bit more angst on this record, both lyrically and musically, but I also feel like I’m honing in on my ability to be honest in a more direct way.”

“This album is a lot different from anything I’ve done before, “Clemons insists. “My last album reflected a very personal and inward point of view. This one is definitely more outward looking. It’s really speaking to the troubles and travails we find in the world today. I’ve always had a fairly philosophical outlook and am happy to share views on society and culture, but never used that voice so directly through my music until now. Over the course of the past 2 years or so that voice has really started to emerge and the songs I’ve been writing feel more significant to me. It’s been an interesting season, but as always, I’m grateful for the journey.”

Eyes On The Horizon is now available everywhere digitally and in stores on CD.